新词

boiling the frog

phr.  Slowly increasing a negative stimulus that would otherwise be rejected if performed all at once.

煮青蛙这个习语的意思就是逐渐地增加负面刺激，以免一次性实施时遭到抵制。

动词形式为：boil the frog

 

习语故事

First, this idiom comes from the old legend that if you put a frog in boiling water it will immediately jump out, but if you put the frog in cold water and then slowly turn up the heat, the frog will eventually get boiled alive. Second, the operative word here is “legend.” 
起初“boiling the frog”这个习语源自一个古老的传说。如果将一只青蛙扔进开水中，它会立即跳出来。但如果将一只青蛙放进冷水中，然后慢慢增加火候，青蛙最终就会被煮死。

If you tried this experiment, the frog would most certainly jump out of the water before it got too hot. The story is pure humbug, but, as this phrase shows, the metaphor, like the frog, remains alive and well.
这里的关键词是“传说”。如果做一下这个实验，就会发现在水变得太烫之前，青蛙就跳出去了。这个故事是一个彻头彻尾的骗局，但就像这个短语一样，此种隐喻还是跟现实中的青蛙一样，流传下来。


相关单词

operative word 关键词

That was the operative word these days.
那就是目前的关键词。

 

humbug n. 骗局；骗子

What a revolting humbug the man was!
这个男人真是个可恶的骗子！

 

metaphor n. 隐喻；象征

Despite the mixed metaphor, there is some truth in this judgement. 
除了纷繁复杂的象征外，这个评判还是有其真实性的。

 

欢迎来到》》》零基础英语从头学，这里你可以找到学习英语的勇气和魔法书……

 

还有>>>沪江词汇社，等着你哦！